Livingston, N.J.-based Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center recently became one of the first hospitals in the U.S. to use the Monarch Platform, a robotic bronchoscopy technology used to detect lung cancer, the hospital said Dec. 9.
"Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, in part because it has no symptoms in its early stages," said Killol Patel, MD, director of interventional pulmonology at the center. "Because the Monarch Platform provides improved reach, vision and control for bronchoscopic procedures, it will help us to make a diagnosis earlier."
Using a controller-like interface, the Monarch Platform combines traditional endoscopic views with computer-assisted navigation based on 3-D models of the patient’s own lung anatomy. The platform provides physicians with better reach, enabling earlier and more accurate diagnosis in the periphery of the lung.